Telling It All Podcast With Dylan Flanagan - State And Future Of United States Tennis, Australian Open Second Week

Topics Include: The State Of Tennis/ATP Tour Financing (1:00). The Future Of United States Tennis (7:35). The Advantages And Disadvantages Of College Tennis (14:15). Seven Empty Seconds As Mysterious As The Missing Audio From The Apollo 11 Moon Landing (16:35). Australian Open Men's Singles Second Week Predictions (16:45).

SoundCloud Podcast Homepage: https://soundcloud.com/ctellallsports

Why We Love The Olympics

While I was watching the United States battle Croatia in the quarterfinals of the men's water polo tournament, a thought came into my mind, "Why are people around the world so fond of the Olympics?"

Of course we enjoy watching the best in the world compete in sports that we see everyday on television, like tennis and basketball; but why do we drool and wait in anticipation over the results of the judo event or the archery competition? Why over a two and a half week period am I going on my phone every hour to see who won the most recent handball match? I began to think, "Would I ever dare skip out on going outside and enjoying the summer just to watch water polo if this were not the Olympics?" Nothing against water polo, and how much respect I have for the men and women who play that grueling sport, but the answer to that question is a definitive no!

Although it may seem that crazy fans like myself are the only ones that have this over the top obsession with the Olympics, the athletes who compete also feel an unparalleled passion for the games. In tennis, Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka competed in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, which is something that the top players never do, even at majors. Rafael Nadal said missing out on the Olympics was one of the saddest moments of his career. LeBron James, who finished his NBA season in late June, refused to take a summer break after his long playoff run because he wanted to play for Team USA. Tons of athletes have shown their love of the games by getting the Olympic rings tattooed on their body such as swimmers Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Matthew Grevers. What is it that makes the Olympics so different, so irresistible?

People love the Olympics because they do not occur every year. With anything in life, the less frequently something happens, the more interested people are going to be when something does happen. People are enamored by perfect games and no-hitters because they do not occur everyday; instead, they are truly rare feats. While an MLB player may have over 20 shots at a title, Olympians usually only have two or three chances at a gold medal. People are captivated by the aspect that Usain Bolt has one shot at the 100 meters, and if he comes up short, he will have to wait 4 years to get back on the globe's biggest stage. Unlike a player in the NFL or NBA, Bolt can't make a mistake and come back the next game, or the next season in hopes of a title. Olympians work tirelessly to get on top of the Olympic podium, but if they don't, it's a long four year journey to get another chance. Spectators and athletes love that intensity and that pressure.

Secondly, much like baseball stats, people love the sanctity of Olympic records. Not only are athletes competing against one another, but they are challenging sacred records that have stood for decades. David Rudisha of Kenya is trying to outlast his opponents in the 800 meters to claim gold, but he is also trying to make history and knock off Vebjorn Rodal's 16-year-old Olympic record in the event.

We also love the unique stories that the different competitors bring to the Olympics. Who will ever forget Oscar Pistorius's incredible journey just to get to the Olympics and his inspirational runs in the 400 meter qualification. Pistorius, who had to get both of his legs amputated when he was just 11 months old, had to endure a long struggle just to be able to compete in the 2012 Olympics, as many people felt that his prosthetic legs gave him an unfair advantage. However, Pistorius made it to London, and earned the respect and admiration of millions across the world. When Kirani James of Grenada, who would take gold in the 400 meters the next day, asked to exchanged name tags with Pistorius following their race in the semifinals, it was a scene that epitomized the uniqueness of the Olympics and was a special moment that only the Olympic spectacle could provide.

As fans, we always fall in love with the inspirational Olympic stories, but we also marvel over the Olympians who enter the games in relative obscurity and become a big name before the final flame is put out. Tiki Gelana, who was making her first ever major championship appearance in London, not only became the first women from Ethiopia to win Olympic gold since 1996, but she also broke the women's Olympic marathon record, which was set in 2000 by Naoko Takahashi of Japan. Although it was not quite the breakout on the level of Jeremy Lin, it was a classic example of an unknown Olympian coming into the global spotlight with a surprising victory.

The Olympics also provide so much drama because of all of the different nations that participate. There is nothing more intriguing than watching Iran and Israel, two nations that have so much hostility towards each other, enter the Olympic Parade of Nations almost one after another. All of the different nationalities and all of the different cultures together at the Olympics for a two and a half week period is a sight to see.

Finally, the most obvious reason we love the Olympics is because of the national pride. The Olympics means more about the country you represent than your individual achievements. Unlike Duke-North Carolina or Michigan-Ohio St., during the Olympics everybody comes together and shows their patriotism by cheering on the athletes from their country. People love to have a common rallying point and the Olympics provide that platform. There is no other sporting event where your entire nation is truly behind you quite like the Olympic Games.

A great example to show how captivated some people can get by the Olympics is to look at Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson, who rarely used twitter before the Olympics began, has taken over social media with his love and passion of the summer games. Jackson has twitted almost 250 times in the last 13 days and his commentary on the games has shown how enthusiastic people can get about the Olympics. I think I should investigate a new question: Who doesn't love the Olympics?

Australian Open Week 1 Storylines

Australian Fire Power: There has been a tremendous amount of pressure on the top Australian players, Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt, as they are playing in their home country for this year's first major tournament. The fans expect a strong showing from their hometown players and expect them to perform well on the biggest stage and in front of the home crowd. Mark Edmondson remains the last Australian to win the Australian Open when he beat fellow Aussie John Newcombe in the 1976 final 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1. An Australian hasn't won the Aussie Open in the last 36 years and Australians Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt are looking to end that drought this year. Both Tomic and Hewitt have advanced to the round of 16 and of their 6 wins, 4 of them have been against seeded opponents. The 19-year-old Tomic has captured the Australian crowd through his tough and competitive victories. Tomic beat Fernando Verdasco and Alexandr Dolgopolov in two long and grueling five set matches. He has been feeding off of the crowd's enthusiasm and all their energy and support. The big 6 foot, 5 inch Aussie said after his victory over Dolgopolov, "Tonight was a really good match and a match that I need to win... I think the crowd made me win so thank you for coming out and supporting me." Lleyton Hewitt has been a home town hero in Australia since his first appearance in the grand slam all the way back in 1997, as he continues to wow the crowd to this day. As always, Hewitt has played very consistently and has limited his unforced errors. In his four set victory over #23 Milos Raonic in the third round, Hewitt had just 32 unforced errors compared to Raonic's 54.

The Dominance Of The Top Four: The women's tennis game has been pretty wide open since 2009. Since the 2009 French Open, 7 different women have won a grand slam. However, the men's game has been dominated by the top four players (Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal Roger Federer, and Andy Murray). Since the 2005 French Open, Juan Martin Del Potro's U.S. Open championship in 2009 is the only time a player aside from Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer has won a grand slam and this year looks no different from any other. The top four players have been dominate thus far and look on a collision course to all meet in the semifinals just like they did at the French Open and the U.S. Open last year. Djokovic has lost a total of 10 games in 3 matches and he has faced just 8 break points in three matches. The four time grand slam winner has hit 80 winners and just 42 unforced errors. Like Djokovic, Nadal and Federer haven't dropped a set thus far and Murray has lost just one set. Nadal and Federer have both won over 80 percent of their first serve points. However, Djokvoic and Federer won't have a lot of fan suport in their next match as the Joker plays Lleyton Hewitt and Fed plays Bernard Tomic. Looking down the road, the biggest threats to stop the top four meeting in the semi-finals are likely Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin Del Potro, who have Andy Murray and Roger Federer in their quarters respectively.

Marcos Baghdatis's Meltdown: With the top players all having little trouble through the first week and a lack of upsets, as only four of the 16 remaining players are unseeded, one of the highlights of the tournament was Marcos Bagdatis's meltdown. Marcos Baghdatis has been loved in Australia since he made his incredible run to the finals of the major back in 2006. Also, Baghdatis has received huge fanfare and support in Melbourne because of the large Greek-Australian population there. The Cyprus born star has a great following at the tournament. However, in this year's Australian Open in a night match on Margaret Court Arena in the second round, Baghdatis didn't fare as well. While he was down 2 sets to love and a break to #21 Stanislas Wawrinka, Baghdatis had an eruption and an emotional breakdown. To take out his frustration and anger, Baghdatis smashed four of his rackets during a change-over. It was quite a meltdown to witness. Serena Williams said, "I've done that. That's impressive. Wow." 1992 and 1993 Australian Open Champion Jim Courier said, "I hope he gets a share of the YouTube clips. It was such a raw moment."

A Dream French Open Semifinal

In one heavyweight semifinal the number 1 seed Rafael Nadal will play the number four seed Andy Murray. In the other semifinal the number 2 seed Novak Djokovic will play the number 3 seed Roger Federer. The top four seeds all advancing to the semifinals of a major has only happened 11 times in the Open era and the last time it occurred was at the French Open 5 years ago in 2006. Previously, these four guys along with fifth seeded Robin Soderling became the first top five seeds since Wimbledon in 1989 to all reach the quarterfinals of a major. Pretty amazing stuff; I would definitely agree with that statement. 

Rafael Nadal is just two matches away from winning his 6th French Open title, which would tie him with Bjorn Borg for the second most French Open championships in history.

Will Rafa tie Borg for the second most French Open titles?

Novak Djokovic has a 41 match win streak to begin 2011, and now has 43 wins in a row dating back to last year. Djokovic needs 1 more win to tie John McEnroe's record of 42 straight wins to begin a season, which he did in 1984. If Djokovic beats Federer in the semifinals, he would tie Ivan Lendl's 44 match winning streak, which he did in 1982. If Novak wins his next two matches at the French Open, he will be just one short of Gullermo Vilas's record for 46 straight match wins, which Vilas set in 1977.

Will the streak continue?

After beating Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 in the round of 16, Federer broke Jimmy Connors record of most consecutive quarterfinal appearance at a major by reaching his 28th straight. Federer is looking to win his first major since the Australian Open in 2010 and is looking to extend his record 16 major victories to 17.

Will Roger win his second French Open?

Andy Murray has made three glam slam finals and has not won a set in any of the three matches. He is looking to break through and win a major at this year’s French Open. Murray is also just the second British player to reach the semifinals of the French Open in the Open Era. In 2004,Tim Henman made the semifinals before losing to Guillermo Coria.

Will Murray finally win his first major?

Although it sounds cliché, tennis is really the winner in this situation. Although everybody likes an underdog story, a semifinal that includes the top four players in the world, who are all playing at such a high level, and all have so much to play for, is just something spectacular. No matter if Nadal ties Borg for the second most French Open victories, or Djokovic's streak continues and he breaks McEnroe's record, or Federer extends his record for major victories by winning his 17th, or Andy Murray becomes the first player from England to win the French Open, it should be a hell of a Friday and Sunday of tennis.